We explored the East Garden of the Imperial Palace with 17 guests from Australia, Philippine, Portugal, Brazil, Russia, UK, Spain, Belgium, China, Chile, and the USA. The start point is the Tokyo Station. The traditional western style red brick building is so impressive.
We walk through the Marunouchi district. It is the core of the Japanese business center. Then we approach to the Imperial Palace East Garden.
The palace is the former Edo Castle, which was the headquarters of the Samurai’s military government in the 17-19 century. The castle was also the residence of the Shogun, the top commander general of the government. You can enjoy not only beautiful sceneries but also learn about Japanese history and tradition.
Our guests asked many questions to us.
What is the difference between a Samurai and a Ninja?
How many wives did the Shogun have?
Was the Ohoku in the Shogun’s palace like a harem?
Why there were many fire disasters in the old Tokyo?
When was the year the Samurai government was finished?
Is there a noble class other than the royal family and the commoners?
Very interesting questions!
Last week, we had snowfall in Tokyo. The snow depth was 23cm. Snowscape would be observed only once or twice a year in Tokyo. We were lucky to see the imperial palace garden and snow. The silent snow covered Ninomaru garden and forest gives us the peaceful mind.
Japan has clear four seasons. Each has a unique charm. The beauty of winter attracts many tourists. We recommend visiting Hokkaido, Kanazawa or Takayama to enjoy the beautiful snow covered world. One more idea is to go to the snow resort such as Niseko and Hakuba.
At the end of the tour, we offered Kimono photo taking service. Everybody looks so nice. Thank you for coming to our tour. Have a nice trip!
Posted by Masa Ito